I was scrolling through some of my last reviews and it occurred to me I hadn’t reviewed an Interpol album in quite a while. In fact, the last one was May 2016! I guess time flies when you’re dead inside. So the time has come to spread the word and music of my favourite band once more. ‘Antics’ was released in 2004, two years after their widely acclaimed debut ‘Turn On The Bright Lights’, and it received equally rapturous praise itself.
For me, the sound of the album changed noticeably from the debut. It’s much clearer in both vocals and sound and in a sense it lost that unique edge the debut had. However, it saved itself because the album as a whole is still outstanding. In fact, it’s probably far more accessible to the first time Interpol listener. Tracks such as ‘Narc’, ‘Evil’ and ‘Slow Hands’ were pretty successful in the US and are recognisable to us on our little island. I remember them playing at students bars and clubs over here too, and that’s about all I remember from college, heyo! Those three tracks see Interpol continuing with their original purpose, but with a more lively edge, such as the first single ‘Slow Hands’.
From the opener ‘Next Exit’, that describes the love story of a young couple in trouble to the echoing lyrics of ‘A Time To Be So Small’, the album leans on Interpol’s desire to explore the darker side of love, various aspects of relationships and oddly enough, space travel. I just found that out too. It’s a more radio friendly record for sure, but they’re deceptive in a sense because you can be rocking out to these songs that are actually about ditching civilisation and leaving it all behind. ‘Public Pervert’ for example, brings with it a fantastic rock sound, heightened by the bass, (best bassist in the game is Carlos Dengler), while the lyrics run through the story of “a couple who are bodies of light flying through space”. It’s actually a great combo. ‘C’mere’ follows ‘Public Pervert’ and is one of the best known songs from the record, tearing through its love story in a blaze of guitar solos that fans wouldn’t really associate with Interpol.
A brilliant record throughout, as magnificent as ‘Turn On The Bright Lights‘ in its own right. If you’re going to begin your odyssey into the work of Interpol, start at the beginning and follow their musical journey. This record offers an easy way out in its sound, but I assure you that starting right will lead to great reward. So buy this, after you buy the first…
G.M
Photo Credit: Wikipedia
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